Film

They’re rude, crude, desperate, sexy and utterly captivating. At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, womens’ roles pushed gender identity to new levels, challenged convention, and updated the world on the multiple lifestyles women lead in the 21st Century. Here’s a list of some of the movies that stood out, from “Bachelorette” to “Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present.”

Few sci-fi classics scare the pants off us as much as Alien. And none of them have Ellen Ripley, a kickass heroine who remains one of the greatest characters ever. But since it’s always fun to mess with the classics, what follows are ideas that could’ve, would’ve, maybe should’ve been in the Alien films.

Whether he’s showcasing his psychotic side in a Danny Boyle flick, or putting on the most joyous (and hysterical) strip tease of all time, Robert Carlyle has a knack for stealing scenes. The Scottish actor’s got a magnetism and raw intensity that carries over between drama, comedy, and even horror–and you’ll find some of each on our list of his top five performances below.

Kevin Gleeson, who has been doubling as Keith Richards in The Rolling Stones cover bands Beggars Banquet and Sticky Fingers for 15 years, shares his insights on his alter ego, Mick Jagger and their work in cinema.

Horror heavyweight Wes Craven’s career spans from evil violence to laugh-out-loud send-ups, but these four critically acclaimed films, highlighted in 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, are all on our must-see list.

There’s a special brand of nostalgia that one experiences when watching a movie set in the future … a future that we’ve already passed! Many of these movies had charmingly ambitious visions of the future: flying cars, casual space travel and (sometimes) reliable time machines–all advances that we’re still pining for in this old dusty world. Check out our top ten future movies of the past below.

It’s always five o’clock somewhere, which is why we encourage you to raise a glass alongside some of our favorite film lushes. Choose your drinking buddies wisely (characters vary in intoxication level from tidy tipplers to rip-roaring drunks). Bottoms up!

Christina Hendricks’ portrayal of Joan Harris on Mad Men turns heads for sure. But the talented redhead — who just earned her fourth Emmy nomination — is so much more than an hourglass figure and a pen necklace. To wit, her top five movies.

Now that virtually every comic book hero and ’80s cartoons have gotten the blockbuster treatment, Hollywood is in the process of pillaging yet another trove of storybook treasures—fairy tales. Aside from this summer’s Maleficent, there are a slew of upcoming updates: Cinderella, due in March 2015, Pan slated for summer 2015, and the Guillermo Del Toro written and produced Beauty and the Beast in development—just to name a few. Of course, this is territory Hollywood has trod before—behold our list of the top 10 f’d up fairytale films.

In one scene, deep into the 1985 adventure romance Out of Africa, Baroness Karen von Blixen (Meryl Streep) has her dear friend Berkeley over for dinner, where he cleverly warns her: “When the old mapmaker’s got to the edge of the world, they used to write, ‘beyond this place, there’ll be dragons.’” It’s a sly warning and a great line, delivered in the setting of Blixen’s deliciously well-appointed living room.

With THE RETURNED on hiatus, it’s only natural to miss your favorite French zombies–;and the living who love them. Get your fix by watching these notable French and American films featuring THE RETURNED’s very own.

Film may be the most entertaining of all art forms—and the most culturally influential. No wonder many use the medium to push an agenda, reveal an injustice or make a political statement. The next time you’re looking to get fired up, watch one of these movies with a bigger purpose.

To Law & Order fans, Benjamin Bratt may always be Detective Rey Curtis, but outside of the four seasons the actor spent as a regular on the TV drama, he’s appeared in an array of films, with an emphasis on challenging indie dramas. If you know Bratt only as a by-the-book cop, read up on some of his outside-the-box roles.

It used to be that no filmmakers would advertise that their movie had feminist ambitions; even now, some directors sidestep the issue. Despite this unfortunate trend, the movies below are wildly entertaining proof of what happens when empowering agendas shine through (even in subtle and complex ways).

Whether you need to settle an argument or start one, rally the masses or inspire an individual, you can turn to the movies for some advice. We’ve rounded up best pep talks in film and television—get ready to get the job done.

These films take the timeless hostage scenario to a whole new level of twisted—where cannibals play mind games with cops, psychotic killers take the form of fan girls and snipers, bombs are on buses and vampire strippers are a thing. Our list of demented hostage films isn’t for the faint of heart.

1. Funny Games
When two deranged young men take a family hostage in their home, they’re forced to engage in a slew of savage games in order to stay alive. Naomi Watts’ and Michael Pitt’s grueling performances—loving, brave mother and perverse, psycho killer, respectively—and a thrilling, fourth-wall breaking scene make the movie well worth enduring the horrors.

2. Silence of the Lambs
FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodi Foster) is drawn into a game of wits with one villain behind bars (the Hannibal Lector), while pursuing another serial killer, “Buffalo Bill,” on the loose. When Bill takes a new victim hostage, Starling’s race against the clock begins. She must get the information she needs from the cryptic psychopath Hannibal (cue the mind games) to apprehend Bill before he murders his prey.

A dark and disturbing mindfuck of a movie (think Roman Polanski’s Repulsion set in the world of Dario Argento’s Suspiria), Black Swan brilliantly challenges our long-held beliefs and ideals—and teaches us a few lessons along the way. Here are the top reasons why the psychological thriller gets more unsettling with every viewing.

Of course you meant to see them in the local art-house theater when they were released. Maybe you even did—and have been thinking about them ever since. Well, you’re in luck! These stellar movies, all winners at Sundance Film Festivals past, are available streaming on Netflix right now.

More often than not, the most memorable movies we see are rooted in heavy, hard-to-watch subject matter. This can certainly be said of the gritty films on this list—all wartime pics set in Africa, all dealing with the real-life conflicts that have ravaged the beautiful continent over the last century.

Dad. He taught you how to catch a baseball, make pancakes and pull weeds. But it’s his useless two cents’ worth, ahem, sage advice that’s priceless. And although he covered many bases, there are a few things he missed—that’s where the big screen comes in.

As Megan Draper on AMC’s Mad Men, Canadian actress/singer Jessica Paré captivated characters and viewers alike. (Don Draper put a ring on it, then her “Zou Bisou Bisou” cover accrued a million views on YouTube.) But she also boasts some impressive big-screen credits. Take a peek at Pare’s movie roster.

Fans know and love her as Betty (Draper, then Francis) on <em>Mad Men,</em> but there's another side to the actress. If you haven't seen January Jones like this, do yourself a favor and check out some of her best dramatic characters.

1. Lou Ann Norton, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
This neo-Western, Tommy Lee Jones' directorial debut (he also stars), features Jones as the wife of a Border Patrol Agent (Barry Pepper) who shoots and kills a Mexican immigrant cowboy (Julio Cedillo). Rather than fess up, he tries to cover up his crime and is kidnapped for his troubles. Lou Ann, meanwhile, is fed up with him and their life in Texas and decides to leave it all behind and return home to Ohio.